Douglas E. Walsh

1935-1936

Douglas E. Walsh was the first president of the newly formed Texas Division of the International Association for Identification.

Doug Walsh was born on December 15, 1895 in Ontario Canada. At the outbreak of World War I, he joined the U.S. Army and served as a solider in France. At the end of the war after having worked in several areas, he joined the Dallas Police Department on February 14, 1920 and worked as an officer for eight years. In February 1928 he was appointed as a Bertillion Officer making $189.20 a month. He rose through the ranks of the newly formed Identification Bureau and in 1934 he was a Lieutenant and a member of the Board Of Directors for the International Association for Identification (IAI). In August of 1935 he sent out a flyer to most of the law enforcement agencies in the state of Texas inviting them to meet in Dallas for the purpose of forming a Texas Division of the IAI. Those attending agreed to form a Texas Division and a Charter Meeting was planned for November 15, 1935 in Waco Texas. At that Charter Meeting Douglas Walsh was elected as the first President.

On April 11, 1936 Doug Walsh was promoted to Captain and placed in charge of the Dallas Police Department’s Bureau of Identification. He went on to become appointed Acting Chief on 09-19-39 and then Assistant Chief on October 5, 1939 where he remained in that capacity until September 1947 when his classification was changed to Captain of CID. He retired from the Dallas PD on April 5, 1948.

Doug Walsh went on to become an investigator with the Dallas District Attorney’s Office where he worked for 23 more years until his retirement.

He passed from this life in April of 1976. Gone but not forgotten.